Friday Funday: Clean Car, Clean Dog, Clean Sheets

03. October 2014 · 3 comments · Categories: labradoodle, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Why wait for Sunday Funday when you have Friday off and it’s the perfect sunny, 68 degree crisp day?!

This morning the doodle got groomed.

Happy October!

Happy October!

Then we went for a walk in the park. On the way home I used the last of my Dunkin Donuts gift card that I got last October to get an iced caramel latte. I love my Duncan and my Dunkin!

Duncan and Dunkin

Duncan and Dunkin

With Duncan clean and fresh, I decided to change my sheets and make my bed which is a big deal for me. I hate fitted sheets. I’m usually sweating profusely by the time I complete the task. #crosstraining I got a new Duvet at Target for $30. I’m loving it!

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And then, since I was on a cleaning roll, I cleaned my car inside AND out! #winning

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This microfiber mitt is the bomb for getting all the dust off the dashboard!

Forest's first bath

Forest’s first bath

Yesterday I set out to the beach running path for a run. I really didn’t know whether I wanted to shoot for a long run or not. So I just set out to do one complete out and back to start, knowing that would be 4.5 miles. I felt great as far as endurance and speed go. My legs were turning over without issue. No heavy legs. Score! It was so good to finally feel like a 10 minute pace was closer to easy than hard. But interestingly I started to feel some knee pain just as I was completing the 4.5 loop so I stopped.

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I walked over to my car to stretch and assess when I bumped into Duncan’s boxer friend Chance and his momma.

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So I walked for an hour with them. My knee seemed ok. The walk was helping. Later on in the day Duncan and I went out to meet up with Chance and his mom again and also Athena and Zeus and their momma for a 2 mile pack walk.

Duncan and Chance

Duncan and Chance

Athena and Zeus: the Dogues and Duncan

Athena and Zeus: the Dogues and Duncan

This time though I felt some knee pain. I even felt myself walking with a bit of a limp. I have never had knee issues. Apparently webmd diagnosed me with just runners knee. I guess now that my left ankle and leg are feeling perfect my right side has decided it’s time to be the punk.

I’m not worried yet. I think it could possibly be connected to the stair master workout from Tuesday. I’m icing it and stretching and I’ll shoot for a long run this weekend.

The rest of my night was awesome. It included a homemade apple crisp, tiramisu, a delicious meal cooked by my sister-in-law and the perfect company. That.is.all 😉

I sure hope you have fun things happening this weekend. I’m actually excited about cheering on my boyfriend at his half marathon on Sunday. Now that I have had practice being a spectator. He is going to return the favor next weekend at my half marathon. #teamwork

So tell me about your weekend plans.
Anyone ever have knee pain?

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So long Lady Liberty and Hello Forest(er)

12. August 2014 · 6 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Hi folks!

Happy Tuesday! I’m still recovering from my car purchase weekend. Saturday morning I hit up a local dealer to test-drive the Subaru Forester XT model (the turbo engine). I had already test-drove(driven?) the regular engine a few weeks ago but somehow the idea of more horsepower excited me! I was immediately smitten with the turbo and wanted to move forward with the purchase. Only one issue. Most dealerships within an hour’s drive didn’t have the trim that I wanted. They only had the top of the line trim which was well out of my price range. My dad started to do some leg work for me and found one just over an hours’ drive from me. So after returning home from my test-drive I called that dealership to ensure it was still in inventory and then hit the road. With all the traffic I encountered on the way down, plus the time spent negotiating etc and then the return drive it was just over a 5 hour trip. But, I FINALLY closed the deal. I’ll be picking up my boy (named him Forest because I’m so unique) on Thursday. And to ensure he lasts for years to come I’m going to continue to cheer him on like Forest Gump….Run Forest(er) Run!!!

Subaru Forester XT Premium

Forest

I’m going to miss Lady Liberty, my gal, my Jeep, my friend….she served me well for 11 of the 12 years at least and only became unreliable this last year.

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Sunday, I woke up feeling horrible. I had a pounding headache and so I mostly just lounged on the couch letting my brain just decompress. I did manage to get a 30 minute brisk walk in the morning and another 20 minute walk with the dogs in the afternoon (I’m dogsitting Duncan’s half-sister…they share the same mister but he’s her brother from another mother). They are seriously the cutest pair!

siamese doodles

siamese doodles

labradoodles

this is my morning

I really have been doing poorly in the eat healthy and exercise categories. When I’m under stress the idea of eating a vegetable just makes me ill. And so I’ve been over doing it on the comfort foods…pizza, BLT, fries, cookies, etc. And with no real training plan I’m just getting too used to couch surfing.

But I’ll be focusing on cleaning up my act in the weeks to come. I can’t sustain eating this way without some unpleasant consequences. And i’m not just talking about weight gain. Sluggishness and stomach issues are two more critical consequences.

And let’s not forget I’m running Ragnar Napa in 5 weeks! More on this in a future post. I’m excited to reveal our team name and logo with ya’ll too.

What car do you drive? Do you name your cars?
A coworker of mine told me he named his Ford Explorer Indiana Jones. =)

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My Body Warned Me

21. July 2014 · 3 comments · Categories: injury, labradoodle, running · Tags: , , , ,

So I really wanted to title this post My Body Failed Me but I know that it gave me signs and I guess I just needed to hear them better.

I ran 5 miles today and with every step I felt that annoying pain up the outside of my calf and almost behind my knee and even mild pain on the outside of my foot where the tendonitis originated as I crossed the finish line of the NJ Marathon almost 3 months ago. (Seriously….I feel like a broken record and I must be boring y’all with this constant injury mumbo jumbo)

This photo brought to you by the color Turquoise and the dog breed Labradoodle

This photo brought to you by the color turquoise and the dog breed Labradoodle

Anyway, I still managed to enjoy the run despite the pain and just started to think about how I got here and how I plan to move forward in the healing process. First thing on the agenda when I return from San Francisco is finding a new primary care doc who specializes in sports medicine =) I’m thinking of adding acupuncture to the mix and perhaps another hiatus from running as well. In September I need to be 100% healthy because I’ve got lots of stuff planned for the fall Including Ragnar Napa and 3 half marathons. I pray that the 4 weeks of August are all I need to banish this tendonitis once and for all.

After the run Duncan and I picked up my friend Lisa for a 3 mile walk down by the beach. Poor Doodle had to ride in the back seat. Not his style. He prefers shot-gun. But he’s a gentleman and let Lisa ride up front =)

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apparently there was a sand castle building event the day before….

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Oh, and yesterday I officially kicked off my car shopping experience by test driving a couple of vehicles…

10537886_10204262090854125_8444971321129783332_nI’m leaning toward the Subaru Forester…

Do you have a car? What kind? Do you love it?

 

 

 

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